The present invention relates to a shock mount system for electronic subassembly components, and in particular to a system providing an electrically conductive shock mount that allows for easy installation and removal of the electrical subassembly.
Generally there is a desire to increase the ruggedness of electrical subassemblies, while lowering associated assembly costs and improve overall function. The electrical subassemblies, such as a power supply for example, are typically mounted within housing assemblies, such as a computer rack for example. These electrical subassemblies may be subjected to harsh environmental conditions, such as vibrations caused by surrounding equipment and shocks or high acceleration loads caused by removal and installation of the housing.
Shock mount assemblies are typically used to avoid sudden variations in acceleration by applying the acceleration over a longer period of time. This functionality may be achieved by mounting the assembly on springs or an elastomer. The shock mount assemblies use fasteners, such as a screw or a bolt, to connect to the housing and the subassembly. These fasteners can make installation and removal of the subassembly a difficult and time-consuming process.
Additionally, the electrical subassemblies and the systems in which they are installed have had to meet additional requirements. Increasingly, there has been an increasing demand to reduce radio frequency interference (“RFI”) emissions generated by the system. RFI is an electromagnetic interference that may cause problems or disrupt the operations of surrounding equipment. To reduce RFI emissions, manufacturers have typically created an electrical connection between the subassemblies and the housing to ensure that all the subassemblies are operating at the same voltage. This electrical connection was typically achieved using a copper braided cable. However, as systems, such as computer systems, have migrated to higher operating frequencies, the use of a braided cable has been less effective in preventing RFI emissions.
While current electrical subassembly mounting systems and RFI mitigation methods are suitable for their intended purposes, there exists a need for improvements in providing a mounting system that absorbs shock and vibration loads and is electrically conductive. There exists a further need for a mounting system that allows the subassembly to be reliably and repeatedly installed and removed from a main computer system.